Crap, I have some kind of an oil leak! (Transfer case output flange)

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

I have just under 2000 miles on my US delivery and I just spotted some clear odorless oil on my garage floor.

This picture is taken from the front. The four dirt spots are where the tires usually rest and you see the oil spots in the center in relation to the tires.

This is where I think it's coming from. Transfer case or transmission? Ugh, I'm so disappointed. ANY WISDOM OR ADVICE WELCOME!

anand · Feb 1, 2024

Clear and odorless? Like, perhaps water from the A/C?

Transfer case and trans fluid are neither clear nor odorless.... Really there isn't anything that is an oil that is odorless, or clear. Definitely nothing that comes to mind in the middle of the vehicle

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

anand said:
Clear and odorless? Like, perhaps water from the A/C?

Transfer case and trans fluid are neither clear nor odorless.... Really there isn't anything that is an oil that is odorless, or clear. Definitely nothing that comes to mind in the middle of the vehicle

I thought it might be just water, but I touched it and it is definitely oily and doesn't smell like anything.

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

It seems to be transfer box oil is my best guess.

Krabby · Feb 1, 2024

Chadd7 said:
It seems to be transfer box oil is my best guess.

That should not be odorless or clear - especially with a few thousand miles on the clock.

AngusMacG · Feb 1, 2024

Maybe some type of lubrication oil? But those usually smell a bit

AnD3rew · Feb 1, 2024

Krabby said:
That should not be odorless or clear - especially with a few thousand miles on the clock.

Depends how sensitive your nose and eyes are. Auto trans fluid is coloured in a jar of it, but a small amount on the floor or fingers can look pretty clear and not smell of much, would be checking drain plugs first to check if loose.

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

Krabby said:
That should not be odorless or clear - especially with a few thousand miles on the clock.

It's slightly yellowish and still no odor. It's oily but not particularly thick. You can see the drops forming at the end of the arrow.

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

AnD3rew said:
Depends how sensitive your nose and eyes are. Auto trans fluid is coloured in a jar of it, but a small amount on the floor or fingers can look pretty clear and not smell of much, would be checking drain plugs first to check if loose.

Is the drain plug to the right of my yellow arrow? Opened with an Allen key? seems to be coming from the seam.

bikesandguitars · Feb 1, 2024

I hope your dealer is nearby. Following.

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

If you look closely at the seam, it looks discolored compared to the pink along the sides.

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

bikesandguitars said:
I hope your dealer is nearby. Following.

My dealer is a little over an hour away.

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

How safe do you think it is to drive? Earliest I can go see my dealer is Friday. And it's 66 miles away.

shiv.nandak · Feb 1, 2024

Chadd7 said:
How safe do you think it is to drive? Earliest I can go see my dealer is Friday. And it's 66 miles away.

Maybe monitor the transfer case temperature in the off-road screen? From memory, mine typically gets to about 100F when warmed up.

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

I took another look and I don't think it's coming from the seam. It's coming from somewhere to the front of the transfer case where that black metal piece is. The inside of that black metal piece is oily too. The leak seems to be migrating toward the seam where I drew the arrow. ugh.

roadfever · Feb 1, 2024

Sorry to hear you might have a leak! Doesn't look bad based on the small amount on the floor. I would think for an hour you'd be OK. Looks like a couple of drops per park/use (for maybe the past 10-15 cycles) based on the individual spots. Even if you had drips while operating it doesn't look like it'd be much. Could it be melted wax from the frame sealant? I'm just going down the slightly yellow/odorless road there. If it weren't so new, with such a low drip rate and a dealer an hour away I'd let them handle it. This is one of those situations a manual would be helpful though.

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

roadfever said:
Sorry to hear you might have a leak! Doesn't look bad based on the small amount on the floor. I would think for an hour you'd be OK. Looks like a couple of drops per park/use (for maybe the past 10-15 cycles) based on the individual spots. Even if you had drips while operating it doesn't look like it'd be much. Could it be melted wax from the frame sealant? I'm just going down the slightly yellow/odorless road there. If it weren't so new, with such a low drip rate and a dealer an hour away I'd let them handle it. This is one of those situations a manual would be helpful though.

Appreciate your comments. It does seem to be a slow leak, but definitely not melted wax. It's much too thin to be that. Curious what goes in this black cap? Power steering fluid?? I opened the hood to see if anything would give me clues and saw that there was some evidence of overflow by this black cap, but not sure if that was simply while filling or if it was overfilled and somehow leaking. Wondering if that could have possibly travelled to below the car where the transfer case is. I checked levels and it seemed properly filled. But not sure if any of it leaked through the edges of the cap under pressure.

IMG_1042_0WDV3aP-4800x3600-tiny-600x0-0.5x0.jpeg

Chadd7 · Feb 1, 2024

After reading some more about CHF oil, its color and low viscosity, I'm guess that's what is leaking. So is that also the same oil in the transmission? Or only in the power steering fluid reservoir for our vehicles?

KDJDGrenadier · Feb 1, 2024

I recently had my transfer case replaced by the dealer as part of a recall. The new transfer case had a leak in the same spot. A new seal was put in by the dealer and I have had no further problems.

AWo · Feb 1, 2024

Wipe it away where you can find it. Clean the pipes going away from the reservoir. Check the area around the reservoir.

Sit in the car start the engine and have someone steering. Watch the reservoir, pipes, connections, especially to the pump and power steering box. Use a torch.

Nothing? Drive and check then again.

Then check if oil returns. Remember, if it was spilled it could return without a leak, so try to clean it as good as possible.

However, if it was just spilled (when could that had happen?) and you have driven many miles and parked there several times, you should have seen the spots earlier.

AWo

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Crap, I have some kind of an oil leak! (Transfer case output flange)

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